< previous page page_98 next page >

Page 98
John would certainly act in the matter of the widow that Ian de Vipont wanted to marry as soon as he was ready to act at all. Salisbury sighed. He could only suppose the woman had been approached and had refused John's advances. Salisbury deplored from his heart his brother's habit of meddling with the wives and daughters of the great nobles of the land. It was one thing to take the daughter of some minor knight to your bed. Usually in those cases the father was flattered. Adequate provision could be made for the girl, either with a small estate or a marriage to another minor knight who would be happy to obtain the king's favor at the small cost of his wife's maidenhead. It was something else again to try to play with the wife of a man like Simon Lemagne.
Well, Salisbury thought, he had done what he couldwhich was nothing. He was sorry for the woman, but de Vipont could be satisfied with some other heiress. Then suddenly he stopped stock-still. That was nonsense. Ian was not concerned with the lands of the heiress. His talk had been all of the children, and if John gave the woman to any of the men he had suggested Salisbury turned cold. The boy would not survive a week, and the fate of the girl might well be worse. He had a sudden clear image of Ian's face when he spoke of the children and an equally clear memory of Ian's gentleness with Geoffrey. Ian had been a loyal vassal to John, but his loyalty would not survive that. Lemagne had other friends, tooPembroke and Leicesterand Lord Llewelyn of Wales was close-bound to de Vipont.
Salisbury nearly turned and went back to reason with John again. Coupled with the new taxes, an affront of that kindthe forced marriage of a lady of high estate and wide connections to a low-born favoritemight be just the ugly little spark to ignite a conflagration of rebellion. But Salisbury knew it was no use reasoning with John now. John would only smile

 
< previous page page_98 next page >